New Year's Eve Kiss
by mcangel1976
Summary: The Host Club has decided to get together to ring in the New Year together. With Haruhi running late, the plotting begins and now the six hosts are betting to see who can obtain the first kiss of the night. Mori has feelings for her and doesn't want anyone else to kiss her. Haruhi overhears and can't believe them. It's time to teach them a lesson and maybe get the man she likes too
1. Eavesdropping

**Disclaimer… I do not own Ouran High School Host Club or its characters. I just like to use them for my own nefarious purposes… uh I mean my fanfictions. **

**A/N: Ok, here is the Mori/Haruhi New Year's story. Since Hunny only beat him by one vote, I decided he deserved a holiday story as well. Happy New Year's minna! Enjoy!**

Chapter 1 – Eavesdropping

It was just another day with the hosts from the Ouran High School Host Club. Everyone, well Haruhi hadn't arrived yet, had gathered at Mori's house to relax and have some fun together since they were currently on winter break from school and it was New Year's Eve. They wanted to ring in the New Year together, as Tamaki says, like a family.

Christmas had been fun and they had broken into Haruhi's house to make sure she had a nice Christmas because as Tamaki declared, "They are commoners and thus poor and Haruhi's father probably can't afford to get her anything. They are probably eating scraps for dinner." He had been more than wrong… and everyone had tried to tell him that, but he wouldn't listen and wound up pulling them all into his scheme. Ranka almost called the police because he thought someone was breaking in, and when the father saw Tamaki, well he still almost called the cops because there was a "rodent in the apartment". Needless to say, it was a memorable Christmas to be sure.

Now as everyone waited for Haruhi to join them at Mori's home, it was the standard operating procedures with these privileged teens. The twins were working Tamaki into a frenzied mess and planting ideas into his head to see how far they could push him using Haruhi's absence as fodder for their mischievousness; it wasn't far. Hunny was sitting at a table eating yet another cake; it was his second and the gathering had just begun. Kyoya was writing something in his black book; everyone was convinced that and his phone were surgically connected to him. Finally, Mori was standing close to his cousin to make sure all was right with the world… to a degree; he could only do so much around these people he chose as friends.

"KYOYA! We need to send out a search party to find our daughter! Mommy, she should be here by now. She is missing or maybe kidnapped. She could be lying on the side of the road somewhere injured!" Tamaki cried to his best friend grabbing Kyoya's sweater and shaking him. Yes, the blond could be a lunatic sometimes and the twins weren't helping the situation.

Pulling his soon to be dead best friend off of him, the Shadow King growled, "I'm sure she is fine. She told us not to pick her up today. Trains and buses sometimes run behind and she is no more than 15 minutes late at the moment. Hikaru, Kaoru, stop teasing him."

"But it's fun," the twins proclaimed with a snicker.

"Tama-Chan, I'm sure if Haru-Chan was really in trouble, she would call one of us. Right Takashi?" Hunny looked up at his cousin and smiled, knowing full well the taller man's feelings for the secret princess of the Host Club. Over the last month, the two had become closer since Mori was secretly helping her with her history studies and showing her a little bit of kendo; and if he wasn't mistaken, and he rarely ever was, Haruhi had feelings for Mori as well.

Mori nodded and slipped his hand into his pocket grasping his phone, "Right." When eyes were no longer on him, he pulled out his phone and glanced down at it. No missed calls and no messages from the brunette first year. He was sure it was just the bus and train schedule; and it wasn't like Haruhi was never late. When it came to the Host Club and its little events, she was late more than she was on time, which was probably why Kyoya wasn't worried either.

"I agree with Mori-senpai and Hunny-senpai," Kyoya announced with a smile. He could also tell that the wild host and the natural host had started to develop feelings for each other, and he could only hope they found a way to be together without the others going ballistic. The twins might be alright, but Tamaki… well he rather not think about that because it might give him a headache. He could just picture it now, Mori and Haruhi get together and Tamaki explodes and tries to say that Mori can't have her because daughter isn't allowed to date. Cringing inwardly, the bespectacled teen silently cursed his best friend for inner mind theatres. They were all the blonde's fault.

"Hey boss, you know it is tradition that you kiss the person you like at midnight," Hikaru grinned. He had noticed how Haruhi's eyes would wander over to the tallest host, and although it hurt at first, he would attempt to be mature about the situation… as much as he could.

"That's right. I wonder who Haruhi will pick to kiss at midnight," Kaoru snickered. There were many nights he and his brother stayed up late and discussed the issue at hand. He was proud of Hikaru for allowing their toy to have a choice.

Sputtering, Tamaki turned bright red and a small amount of smoke could be seen coming out of his ears, "Well, it will be me of course!" If Haruhi was going to kiss anyone at midnight, he was determined that it was going to be him.

"We don't know about that. We bet she kisses one of us at midnight," the twins said together with an evil smile alighting their face. They were definitely up to something.

The Shadow King picked up on where Hikaru and Kaoru were going with this and decided to add to the fun, "I have some pictures and a lock of her hair here for the person that she kisses first. I assume she will kiss everyone on the cheek, but it is the person that she chooses to kiss first that is the winner. In fact, let's say the person she chooses to kiss first while we are here is the winner and will get the reward."

"I will win!" Tamaki yelled believing he was the only person who could win fair Haruhi's first kiss… and not the one he forced on her with another girl at the ball. This would be her real first kiss and it would be his.

"Wait, we want to play too!" Hunny demanded from his seat. Really, he was doing this for his cousin's sake because he wasn't sure when Mori was actually going to make a move.

As soon as they even muttered the words "Haruhi" and "kiss" Mori wanted in. There had been plenty of contests and bets in the few short months they had known Haruhi, but this was the one he really wanted to be a part of. This was the one that mattered and he didn't want anyone else to have the opportunity to kiss Haruhi except him, "Yah, we want in as well."

Three heads whipped around and gasped, "EH?"

Yes, the twins knew the stoic man had feelings for Haruhi, but they didn't think he would demand to be part of the contest. Usually Hunny would say he wanted in and Mori would silently go along with it all, but today, he declared himself to be part of the contest. Hikaru and Kaoru gave each other a knowing smirk before turning to Tamaki, "Well, this just got interesting."

Kyoya pushed his glasses up and simpered, "Yes, I would have to agree." He had been a little shocked by the declaration, but not enough that he would lose his composure like Tamaki and the twins. Then again, when faced with watching the person you care about kiss someone else or participating… it was always better to participate.

With the rules and such hammered out, they just needed the arrival of a certain female host to begin. There would be no forcing the kiss, no tripping, or anything awkward. It would only count if Haruhi chose the person and then kissed said person. No one was allowed to choose for her.

Unbeknownst to the six men inside the room, a certain brunette had arrived and had been listening to the whole conversation just outside the door. Just as the maid had been about to announce her arrival, Haruhi heard the beginnings of the teasing and something told her to delay her entry. So instead of allowing the maid to announce her, she sent the other woman away so that she could eavesdrop without the others knowing; and the more she listened, the more she wanted to commit first degree murder. She would claim temporary insanity and she had a feeling the judge would be lenient on her because of her association with the group of men who were currently plotting and betting on who she would kiss at midnight… no, who she would kiss first over the course of the evening. This was too much! Even Mori was getting involved and that one surprised her the most. She thought they had a connection, so why was he participating in something so atrocious. Well, she would show them and have her own agenda for tonight and that may or may not involve a kiss, she just wasn't sure yet.

Opening the doors, Haruhi made her presence known. It was time for her own plot and scheme to be enacted and it might lead to a lot of torture and a blood bath in the end. It was just New Year's with the Host Club.


	2. Tormenting

**A/N: HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE! I am excited for the New Year and what it will bring for all of us, and I hope that next year is better than this one. XD. There will be one more chapter after this one and I will post it by tomorrow afternoon. Enjoy the new chapter… Oh, I do have this warning… Haruhi will be OOC in order to pull off what I have planned (insert maniacal laugh). Kyoya isn't the only one that can mess with everyone. **

Chapter 2 – Tormenting

Opening the door, Haruhi squared her shoulders and plastered what she hoped was a saucy smile on her face before walking through the entrance and joining her friends in the room. She wanted to mess with all of them, get under their skin, and then at the last minute… she would pull the rug out from under them all. Someone needed to teach these hosts that they couldn't go around making stupid bets or trying to mess with other peoples' lives. It just wasn't right! Now if she could actually pull it off, Haruhi would be on top of the world for getting on over on the Host Club.

The female host sashayed into the room, swinging her hips a little more than usually, but not too much; otherwise, it would have just looked comical. No this was the right amount of swing to catch the attention of at least four of the six. Only making her entrance and the plan was already working. Tamaki, Hikaru, Kaoru, and Mori's eyes were locked on her petite frame. There was a little thrill that ran through her at the thought that the wild host would be watching her so intently that she could already feel his eyes on her, but she had to shake it off. There was a goal and objective to reach and she would not be dissuaded, could not allow herself to be distracted.

As soon as the door to the room opened and Haruhi walked in, well more like strutted in, Mori's eyes were glued to her form and he could not remove his orbs from her person. She moved differently tonight, with a confidence and swagger that she never had before, not that he didn't like it. It actually made her even more alluring to him, but it wasn't normal; and this should have sent off warning bells in his head, however, his focus was too caught up in the brunette wreaking havoc on his conscious mind.

Swallowing hard, he had a feeling this was about to be a very long night. The tallest host allowed himself to look about the room briefly before returning his eyes to the person he had started to fall for, and he didn't like what he saw. Every single host, whether they were obvious about it or not, were ogling the female host, and Mori didn't like it one bit. Even his cousin was stealing glances at her. Yes, it was going to be a very long night indeed.

Kyoya pushed up his glasses as soon as Haruhi made her way into the room and was shocked at how she carried herself. This was not their normal Haruhi and something was off… and he would figure it out just as soon as he could get his mind to work again. She had thrown his equilibrium off and that was not an easy feat to accomplish. It was almost as if she was trying to get all of their attention, but Haruhi wouldn't do that. Would she? The way she moved her hips and the seductive smile on her face, told the Shadow King that something was wrong, but damn if she didn't present an attractive girl at the moment; and it wasn't even her clothes. She was wearing dark skinny jeans, a white long sleeve button up shirt and a green cardigan over that (which Kyoya was sure the whole outfit came from the twins); however, it was nothing special… so it had to be the attitude, but why the change?

With a piece of cake hovering in the air somewhere between his plate and mouth, Hunny looked up and silently gasped when his friend walked in the room. He didn't know what to say because the way Haruhi moved was… well it had him in awe. Stealing a peek at his cousin, he knew Mori felt the same way, if not more so, and Hunny knew he needed to look away, but it was really hard. Forcing himself to eat the bite of cake in front of his face, he looked down at his place and continued eating the sweet treat moving his eyes up and catching a glimpse of Haruhi through his bangs periodically. His only thought about why she might be doing this was because she found a new confidence or because she was trying to catch Mori's attention, but she already had that.

Hikaru swallowed his gum, and Kaoru felt like he swallowed his tongue when Haruhi sashayed through the door, her hips moving, and a beguiling smile playing on her face. This was the woman they constantly tried to bring out when other students weren't around, and the woman they knew was deep inside of their friend, and yet, they couldn't fathom what finally made her tap into her womanliness and pull it forth. Not that they were complaining, they weren't. They liked this new Haruhi and couldn't stop gawking.

"Hey Kaoru?" Hikaru whispered.

Gulping, Kaoru asked in a low voice, "Yes, Hikaru?"

"Is that our toy?"

"I believe it is."

"WOW!" They exclaimed together, still unable to pull their eyes away from Haruhi in order to look at each other. It was probably a good thing they could be in synch without eye contact; and miracle of all miracles, they weren't even bothering Tamaki at the moment. In fact, thoughts of the blond actually never entered their mind once Haruhi walked in the way she had. If she had wanted to make a grand entrance… she more than succeeded.

Jaw dropping to the floor and eyes about to pop out of his head, Tamaki gaped openly at the brunette's entrance. He always thought she was cute, but tonight Haruhi was more than that. Where had she learned to move her hips like that? When did she develop that smile? That wasn't her cute host smile; that looked more like she was trying to seduce someone. Seduce someone? That couldn't be right. Haruhi was sweet and innocent and she would never try to… would she? No, he wouldn't allow this! And he would tell her that just as soon as he could get his tongue back into his mouth and close it shut.

Haruhi giggled a little and looked at her friends with heavily lidded eyes. It appeared that she had caught their attention and was holding it. The only two that seemed to be partially immune were Kyoya and Hunny, but the night was still young, "Hi guys. I hope I didn't keep you waiting long. I would hate to inconvenience you." Her voice sounded breathy and she heard a small squeal coming from Tamaki's corner, so she knew she had hit her mark with at least one of them, but from the looks on the others faces (well except Kyoya) she had hit it with others as well.

It must have been that last comment that finally snapped Tamaki out of his stupor because suddenly he was screeching and running up to Haruhi, "What took you so long? Are you alright? I knew you wanted to be with daddy! But you listen here young lady; there is no need to act like you want to seduce me. I am right here."

Quirking an eyebrow, Haruhi stopped her struggled and started to giggle breathlessly again. She had been able to free one arm and saw Mori fast approaching to rescue her so she knew she only had a limited amount of time. Stroking her index finger across the blonde's cheek and down to his chin, she looked at him in the eyes and said, "Whatever do you mean? Why don't you let me go and we can discuss it."

Tamaki was shocked, stunned, surprised, flabbergasted (well you get the idea) and immediately dropped her. She would have fallen on her butt, however, Mori was there to catch her and make sure she never hit the floor. In his arms, her heart started racing and her face was turning pink. This hadn't happened with Tamaki, but Haruhi couldn't stop her reaction to the stoic man and almost lost all of her composure sending her plan completely out the window. Instead she remembered what her goal was and rubbed Mori's chest over his heart and leaned in closely, "Thank you Takashi." Her breath ghosting on his ear and she heard a hitch in his breath. She moved her hand to his neck and brushed it over his pulse point and could feel the increase in tempo. It appeared he was just as affected as she was. Pushing the envelope, she moved her hands to his lips and then asked, "Can you put me down now?"

Mori only had one thought when he saw Tamaki grab Haruhi: save the girl he cared about. He had actually never seen the blond move that fast in the entire time he had known the president, but that didn't mean Mori would allow Tamaki to manhandle Haruhi. The wild host had rescued the natural host many times before, so this was just part of the norm, but it turned vastly different. When she moved her hands over him, he couldn't stop the chills or how his heart raced. She was messing with his peaceful balance and at the moment he couldn't care less if she did or not; and then it felt like a stab to the heart when she asked him to put her down. He really thought that she might kiss him when she brushed her fingers over his lips; he wanted to kiss her, and yet, nothing happened. Did she know what she was doing to him… to the others as well? Probably not. She couldn't, and yet there was something inside of him that said she knew exactly what she was doing.

Turning around to the blond president, Haruhi smiled as enticingly as possible and ran her hand down from her neck to her chest, accidently popping a button open, "Now what were you trying to say? I wasn't aware that I was doing anything to anyone. I just came for the New Year's celebration like I was told to. Am I doing something you don't like?"

Tamaki turned bright red as he stammered, "N-N-N-N-No, n-not at all." He couldn't handle the pressure and turned into a puddle of goo on the floor, his soul floating just above him.

When Haruhi's button came undone, the twins suddenly found their mouths very dry. It wasn't that it showed anything since she had originally all but the top button done up, but one button brought to mind undoing the others and that led to other thoughts and before they knew it they were in inner mind theatre heaven (they were also blaming Tamaki and now believed it to be a contagious disease).

The next victim, or victims, on Haruhi's radar were the twins. Spinning around, she got Hikaru and Kaoru in her sights and grinned, "Well, how to the clothes look? They were in the pile you gave me for Christmas." She ran her hands down the front of her shirt and then over her hips forcing their eyes to follow her appendages descent.

Hikaru and Kaoru couldn't spare a glance for anyone else, not even each other, and nodded, "They look good Haruhi." They wanted to tease her, to tease Tamaki, and call her their toy, maybe do some sexual harassing, but they were rooted to the spot and couldn't move. When she wanted to, Haruhi could be very provocative.

Shaking her head, she snickered as she went to sit next to Hunny at his table, "Hunny-senpai, may I have a slice of cake?" Haruhi batted her eyes and pouted ever so slightly.

Hunny was shocked. He couldn't believe this was Haruhi. He didn't have feelings for her, but it was hard not to be drawn to her at the moment and he was really trying to figure out what was going on. This was not normal. She should be trying to entice Mori, not him or the others. Something happened before she entered the room. Slicing her a piece of cake and making sure there was a strawberry on it, he spoke in a bit of a strangled voice, "Sure Haru-Chan." He glanced at Mori and could see that his cousin was a bit upset and hurt by Haruhi's behavior, and very confused. "Ne, Haru-Chan, what's wrong?" He asked.

"Wrong?" Haruhi inquired tilting her head cutely to the side, "Nothing as far as I know. I am just here to celebrate and hang out with everyone until after midnight. Isn't that the plan?"

It was the underlying current in her tone that made Hunny wonder if she hadn't heard what they had said before she arrived. Then it dawned on him, a maid hadn't announced her arrival and they had been talking about the bet until the moment she entered. If he was right, this was very bad.

Kyoya couldn't get over the change in Haruhi and his thoughts were going along the same path that Hunny's had. Something wasn't right, but he wasn't completely sure what it was; and as the night wore on, it just got worse. The twins and Tamaki were turned into stuttering helpless beings, and sometimes dust or glue, several times. Mori looked like he was ready to kill someone one minute and then Haruhi would turn her attention to him and he would blush and the murderous aura would disappear.

Standing up so that he could use the restroom, Kyoya said, "Excuse me for a moment." Part of the reason he left was that he needed a moment away from the alluring Haruhi in order to think. She really was throwing everyone off balance, and it was on his way back to the room about ten minutes later that all of the pieces fell into place. He overheard a conversation.

"I really hope the master isn't mad that I didn't announce Fujioka-san's presence, but she dismissed me when we heard everyone talking," the maid stated.

"I'm sure it will be fine. If she dismissed you, then you cannot be held responsible," another tried to reassure her coworker.

"But she was standing there for about fifteen minutes before she went in because I saw her," the first maid declared.

Kyoya plastered on his best host smile and approached the two servants, "Excuse me, but I can assure you that you will not be in any trouble. You said Haruhi was here for about fifteen minutes before she entered?"

"Ye-yes Ootori-sama," she stammered.

"Thank you very much," the club's vice president smiled and returned to the party. Well, now he knew exactly what was going on and he had to applaud Haruhi on her plans for the Host Club, especially since they appeared to be working; and four of the targets were more affected than he and Hunny. The current problem at hand was would he allow it to continue, or would he stop her now? Shrugging to himself, it wasn't affecting anything major, so he would allow her to continue as he received great amusement watching the others.

And the torment progressed…

Tamaki pulled her into his arms again and just as he thought he would win and she was about to kiss him, she turned her head and called out to Mori to help her. She had only been a hairsbreadth away, and if she would have moved forward ever so slightly… he would have won.

The same thing happened to the twins. She had been standing between them and looked like she was about to kiss Kaoru on the cheek when she switched to Hikaru, and just before she was going to kiss either of them, she moved to sit next to Hunny and enjoy some strawberries.

Haruhi tried the same things on Kyoya and Hunny, but didn't quite get the reaction she was hoping for. With the Shadow King, it was a bit intimidating to approach him with the intent to pretend like she was going to kiss him. Thus she didn't make it very far. Hunny almost seemed to be brushing her off and pushing her towards Mori, which she didn't really mind because honestly if she was going to kiss anyone, she wanted it to be Mori, but right now she had to fulfill her scheme. However, things have a way of happening, or almost happening. Haruhi was pushed towards Mori and tripped, and she would have fallen face first if she had not been caught by the wild host. Looking up into his steel eyes, she couldn't turn away and found her face moving closer to his.

Seeing Haruhi in Mori's arms, Tamaki raced forward to stop the kiss. He wasn't sure if she would actually kiss the third year or if something would stop her like it had with her and the twins, but there was a different look in her eye this time and he had to prevent the kiss from happening. Haruhi wanted to be with Tamaki, not Mori; only, things never go according to Tamaki's plan. Instead of pushing her out of the way, he pushed Mori forward causing them to really kiss. He was in his corner a moment later with a new crop of mushrooms.

Haruhi and Mori melted into the kiss. Everything else seemed to disappear around them and the world only consisted of two people: them. No one else mattered and no one else existed.

"Does this mean that Mori-senpai won?" Hikaru and Kaoru asked.

Shaking his head, Kyoya answered, "No, because she didn't kiss him. Thanks to our wonderful king, they were pushed into the kiss."

Somewhere in the home the clock struck midnight and released twelve chimes.

Haruhi pulled away from Mori and blinked, and then the conversation around her registered. Yes, as soon as the clock struck twelve everyone was yelling "HAPPY NEW YEAR", but she also acknowledged the discussion of the bet, and since she had to pretend she didn't know, she gave them all an act they would never forget, "Won? Why would Mori-senpai win? What are you talking about?" She advanced on the twins.

Holding up their hands in surrender, they then pointed to Tamaki, "It was him!"

"It was not you evil doppelgangers! The bet was your idea!" Tamaki yelled forgetting what he just witnessed and rushing from his corner.

"A bet? You bet on me? What the hell? What gives you the right to make any kind of sick bets concerning my life?" Haruhi yelled.

"They wanted to see who you would kiss at midnight," Kyoya smiled knowing Haruhi was acting and enjoying the show.

Haruhi put her hands on her hips and glared at everyone before turning to Mori, "Can you please take me home senpai? The trains aren't running any longer and I really don't want to stay here any longer."

"If you want to go home, daddy can do it!" Tamaki declared and stopped frozen with the chilly glare she shot him, "Haruhi?"

"If I wanted to be in your company any longer, I would stay, but as it is, I would rather go home and the only other person that is a victim at the moment is Mori-senpai, although I am a little peeved he would participate in this as well!" Haruhi snapped and then stormed out the door.

Mori stared after her and felt bad that he had agreed to join in, but it seemed like the best idea at the time because he didn't want the others to win. He wanted her for himself. Feeling someone nudge him, he looked down and found his cousin trying to get his attention, "Mitsukuni."

Hunny climbed the taller man and whispered, "I think Haru-Chan knew about the bet and that is why she was acting like that. You need to set things right. She really cares about you as more than a friend Takashi. Take her home and confess." Jumping down, he pushed his best friend towards the door.

Once they were both in the car, Mori studied Haruhi for a moment before he addressed her. She was staring out the window and he could see a small dark aura around her; she wasn't in full demon mode, but she wasn't exactly her normal self either. This might prove to be difficult. "Haruhi," he called out to her.

Without removing her gaze from the window, the female host responded, "What?"

"I'm sorry."

"If you're sorry, why did you do it in the first place? Why did anyone make a bet like that? I heard everything you know? I knew what you six were planning."

Hunny had been right and that made Mori feel even worse. Throwing caution into the wind, he had to somehow convince her that he cared for her and grabbed her hand pulling her attention away from the window and on him, "I didn't want anyone else to win you. I really like you and didn't want the others to kiss you. I wanted you to kiss me, and me alone."

Blushing, Haruhi looked at their joined hands unable to speak for a moment. It wasn't until they had pulled up to her apartment and he walked her to the door, still holding hands, that she said anything, "I like you too Mori-senpai." She pulled him down closer to her level and kissed him. When she pulled back she was smiling, "You were the only one I wanted to kiss at midnight."

Mori leaned forward and gave her another small kiss. His heart was soaring and he was happier than he could ever being; and it felt better than winning a kendo competition. Brushing his fingers over her cheek, he locked eyes with her before reaching behind her and opening the door she had unlocked when they arrived, "You should go in. It's cold out here."

Haruhi wasn't ready to let Mori go just yet, she asked, "Would you like to come in for some tea?"

Smiling, Mori nodded, "I would love to come in for some tea." They walked in and shut the world out.

Back at the Morinozuka estate, Tamaki was fretting over what happened with Haruhi. The twins were attempting to tease him, but their hearts just weren't in it; and the two remaining hosts were discussing what was going to happen between the wild and natural host going forward as well as recapping the events of the night. They had both known it was an act, but the others didn't need to know that. Somehow the cool host and the loli shota host didn't think they would be seeing Mori for a while, and they couldn't be happier for him.


	3. Winning

**A/N: I hope that everyone had a wonderful New Years. Mine has already started out really well. I found out that my story Wedding Day Jitters (it is in the Twilight universe) was nominated for top 10 stories finished in Dec 2013. If you follow my other stories outside of Ouran, or would just like to vote for me, the link can be found on my profile page. Well, we have come to an end of this story. I am glad you enjoyed it and liked a saucy Haruhi. It wasn't that I was trying to change her personality; I just needed to her act like she had for her plans. Enjoy the last chapter!**

Chapter 3 – Winning

That New Year's Eve/morning Mori never made it back to his house until well after breakfast and by then the other hosts had long since gone home; actually everyone but Hunny had left. The eldest host was waiting for his cousin to return because he wanted to know what happened. Giddy with excitement, he tried to wait patiently for his best friend, and the moment he saw Mori, he flew through the door and pounced, "How is Haru-Chan? Is she still mad? What happened? Did you confess?"

Suppressing a chuckle, Mori continued his journey into the house with his cousin hanging on his back, "She is fine. I did confess and she returns my feelings."

"That's wonderful Takashi!" Hunny exclaimed now even more excited for his companion.

Mori walked into the house and asked, "How late did the others stay?"

"They only stayed another couple of hours and when they realized you might not be coming back, Hika-Chan and Kao-Chan dragged Tama-Chan away. Kyo-Chan went with them, but that doesn't mean that he helped," the shorter man giggled. If he knew Kyoya, and he liked to think that he did, the vice president would have either tortured his own best friend or he would have ignored him; either way, the situation didn't look good for Tamaki.

The kendo champion rubbed his face, "They called Haruhi several times last night and then again this morning. She finally turned off her phone and ignored it."

"Did Ranka-Chan let you stay over last night?"

"Haruhi called him when she got home and he was out with some friends and already sounded drunk, so I decided to stay with her. She did tell him I would stay though and he begged me to protect her from Tamaki. I was going to tell him about us and ask his permission to date her, but I didn't think he would remember it today," Mori answered a slight smile appearing on his face.

Hunny could easily picture the whole conversation and that set him off laughing once again, "Yah, it might have been best to wait, but I don't think he will have a problem with it… since you're not Tama-Chan. We have a few more days before we have to go back to school, you should take Haru-Chan away so that the others don't bother her."

"I suggested that and she didn't want to. We are supposed to have dinner together later. She had some things to do first, and Satoshi and I were going to spar today, so I came home and will pick her up later."

Jumping off of Mori's shoulders, Hunny announced, "We need to celebrate with some cake!"

Across town, Tamaki started to feel anxious when the number he was calling went to voicemail again. Instead of throwing his phone down in frustration like he wanted to do, he did the next best thing… called Kyoya, "Mommy! Our daughter is missing and she won't pick up the phone. What is Mori-senpai kidnapped her?"

Kyoya shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. This was not what he wanted to deal with when he had only been awake for abut fifteen minutes, "Listen to me Tamaki. He has not kidnapped her, she is perfectly safe, and I am sure she is just a little irritated with the whole bet." Of course, he didn't let his best friend know that she had known about the bet the whole time. Knowing how Tamaki could be, the bespectacled teen figured Haruhi was probably ignoring the blond because Tamaki suffered from a classic case of daddyitis and overzealousness was one of the many symptoms. Unfortunately there was no cure as of yet, and at times it was best to quarantine one's self from the infected party, which was what he believed she was doing at this very moment. Plus if he was right, Mori and Haruhi were now an item and the last thing they wanted was to be hounded by an enthusiastic Host Club president.

"But Mon Ami…"

"No buts. She is fine Tamaki and is probably doing something with Ranka right now since she was with the Host Club last night. Do you really want to come between her and Ranka? In fact, I believe they had something planned for the remainder of her winter vacation. So you need to leave her alone or else. She will call you when she is ready," the Shadow King threatened. He really hoped that Mori and Haruhi appreciated what he was doing right now, and they owed him for this.

"She what?"

"Yes, she and Ranka have plans for the next few days, so you need to leave her alone. You wouldn't want to get further on his bad side, would you?"

"NO! I will leave them alone! I promise!" Tamaki yelled, very afraid of the man that was the Fujioka patriarch.

Simpering, Kyoya stated, "That's what I thought. If I hear you bothered their time together… well, we'll just leave it at that. I will tell you if I hear from her though."

"Can I come over and hang out at your house today?"

He knew he would regret this, but there were times when Tamaki used a certain tone of voice that made it hard for Kyoya to reject him, "Fine." Hanging up, he went to tell a maid to prepare tea and snacks for his guest, who based on past estimates, would be over in about five minutes, even if it should take around ten. Sometimes Tamaki defied the laws of physics.

Haruhi and Mori both received a text from Kyoya stating that they owed him one, but neither one of them really understood why until they moved through the remainder of their winter break. There were no calls or texts from Tamaki, and only an occasional one from the twins. If the Shadow King was behind the absence, then they really did owe him one.

Over the course of the next few days, the new couple spent as much time together as possible. There were times they stayed in and enjoyed the quiet and solitude of being solely with each other, and there were times when they would go to the park or out to eat, but they did what they could to fill in as much time together as possible before they returned to school and their bubble of solitude was once again popped. Kyoya couldn't keep Tamaki away forever and they knew they would have to eventually return to the real world.

On the Sunday before they were to return to school, Mori showed up at Haruhi's apartment with every intention of taking her out to lunch because that was the plan (even if he was a little early), but when you are a member of the Host Club, plans have a way of changing. He arrived just as he was supposed to and Haruhi let him into the apartment. He talked to Ranka while Haruhi finished getting ready until the patriarch had to go to work… and then it happened. Mori opened the door for his new girlfriend and there were the other members of the Host Club, including his shorter cousin, "Mitsukuni?"

"I tried to text you Takashi," Hunny shook his head.

Feeling his pockets for his phone, Mori realized he had left it at him in his eagerness to see Haruhi, "Ah, it's on my dresser."

"Mori-senpai, what are you doing here?" Tamaki asked. He turned to his best friend and inquired, "Mommy, do you know?"

Kyoya adjusted his glasses and sighed, "Sorry Mori-senpai, Haruhi, I kept them at bay as long as I could."

Tamaki scowled and bellowed, "Just what does that mean Mon Ami?" Glancing at the two people in the doorway once again, he noticed that Mori's arm was wrapped around Haruhi wrist and he started to sputter, but he wasn't able to get out any words… at least none that were coherent, "Waist… arm… Mori-senpai…"

This whole attempt at speech caused Hunny and the twins to start laughing. Hikaru and Kaoru didn't even have the opportunity to tease their friend because he was already doing a bang up job getting worked up on his own. They didn't need to do anything.

Blinking, Haruhi looked up at her boyfriend before staring at her friends and smiling, "Oh that's right. Mori-senpai won the bet. I kissed him first."

It was too much for Tamaki to take and he started to feel dizzy and wound up stumbling over the railing. Luckily there was a moving van right there, so he didn't fall far. Unfortunately, the van took off and he fell off the roof moments later.

The hosts rushed to their friend's side, laughing as they did so since he didn't appear to be hurt since he was standing up and looking around like nothing ever happened. Kyoya chalked it up to yet another example of Tamaki defying physics yet again.

When his friends arrived, Tamaki looked at the six of them, "I think I hit my head against something and was dreaming. When did we get here? I dreamt that Haruhi said that Mori-senpai won the bet."

"He did," the twins announced happily together.

"WAH?!" Tamaki screeched.

"You know what else Tama-Chan? Takashi doesn't need the prize that Kyo-Chan offered because he won Haru-Chan!" Hunny yelled enthusiastically.

Tamaki's eyes snapped to that of the natural and wild host. They were holding hands and standing very close together. Was Hunny right? But wasn't he supposed to win the bet and the girl? He was the princely type.

"Yes, apparently, Mori-senpai won the ultimate prize. Aren't you happy for them Tamaki," Kyoya smiled. Of course it wasn't a normal smile and his best friend knew that; it was a smile that was full of promise if the blond did something untoward.

Allowing his eyes to rove over Mori and Haruhi once more, he saw the female host step closer to her protector as Mori wrapped his arm around her once again. Yes, it was more than apparent that the stoic host had won the ultimate prize and it was written all over the couple's face. He also didn't want to know what Kyoya had in store for him should he do anything stupid. Sighing with defeat, Tamaki finally said, "Then I must congratulate you two on your new relationship. She is a wonderful girl Mori-senpai." However, everything inside him was screaming to go into daddy mode, and he still might.

"I know," Mori glanced down at his girlfriend and grinned.

Unable to hold it back any further, Tamaki shouted, "But if you hurt my little girl, you will have to answer to me. Don't think that I completely approve of this match. I will be watching you like a hawk…" He kept going and the others just tuned him out and started walking towards the cars leaving him behind.

"Do you guys want to come with us to get something to eat?" Haruhi asked her friends. Tamaki was still in the same spot carrying on with his rant. It had become a low buzz and background noise to her.

"If you don't come along, we will leave you behind. We're all going to lunch," Kyoya yelled as the door to the car was opened. Before he could get in the car, Tamaki had raced over and rushed into the vehicle causing the bespectacled teen to chuckle. One thing was for sure, it was never boring around the Host Club and each day was full of surprises. Getting into the car, he shook his head and smiled to himself. Mori and Haruhi were now together and they truly did belong together, Tamaki had accepted the relationship without as much fuss as he had anticipated, and so far the twins were behaving themselves; however, the day was still young and he wasn't relaxing his guard around two mischievous troublemakers.

Leaning over, Mori kissed Haruhi on the top of her head as they headed to lunch. When he agreed to the bet on New Year's Eve, he hadn't expected her to act the way she did or that she would find out about their gambling addiction when it came to her; although he really hoped that the bets would stop now that he was dating her. However, the two kisses he received that night pushed wide the door that had been opened a crack, and now he had the girl of his dreams. Haruhi had been right; he had won the ultimate prize and it beat winning a kendo trophy any day.


End file.
